NOSM Appoints Academic Director for its new Centre for Social Accountability

Dr. Sarita Verma, Dean, President and CEO of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Erin Cameron, PhD, as the inaugural Academic Director of the Centre for Social Accountability beginning a three-year term on July 1, 2021. Her appointment marks an important milestone in the development of the School’s new Centre for Social Accountability (CFSA).

“Erin is a well-known faculty member and an active academic researcher at NOSM who is highly regarded for her focus on innovative, socially accountable medical education research,” says Dr. David Marsh, Associate Dean, Research Innovation and International Relations at NOSM. “Her track record in fostering strong multidisciplinary research collaborations with broad impact will help guide the Centre forward.”

The Centre for Social Accountability is the only one of its kind in Canada with a core mandate to improve the health of Northern Ontarians, reaching beyond NOSM’s founding commitment to be socially accountable in education, research programs and in advocacy for health equity. Erin Cameron says the Centre is well poised with the support of a network of researchers, partners and contributors already in place.

“I am looking forward to this new role. The Centre for Social Accountability will be the frontrunner to improving equity, access, and population health outcomes that are sustainable with new opportunities and research that are now underway,” says Erin Cameron, who is currently an Associate Professor in Medical Education and Curriculum Development at NOSM. As an educational leader, she represents NOSM on multiple national groups including the Canadian Medical Education Research Centre Directors Group and the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada’s (AFMC’s) Social Accountability Network.

“Professor Cameron will assemble a team and engage all NOSM stakeholders in examining the idea of social accountability. The Centre is mandated to lead in socially accountable approaches to care, education, advocacy, social justice and change for the improvement of Northern Ontario’s health. I cannot think of a better leader and passionate researcher to take this Centre forward,” says Dr. Verma.

This new interdisciplinary Centre for Social Accountability (CFSA) will be dedicated to leading-edge population health, primary care research to innovate new models of education, incubate research in social accountability and advocate about issues that address inequitable health care in the North such as poverty, water insecurity and climate change. The CFSA was made possible with support of a $1.2 million donation from Dr. Hugh Robertson, Emeritus Professor of Radiology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and Clinical Professor of Radiology at Tulane University Medical Centre in New Orleans. The donation was earmarked to address social accountability, health inequity, advocacy for marginalized populations and access to care in Northern Ontario.

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About the Centre for Social Accountability
NOSM’s new Centre for Social Accountability (CFSA) is the only one of its kind in Canada. The Centre will result in improved health of Northern Ontarians while extending beyond NOSM’s commitment to being socially accountable in our education and research programs and advocating for health equity. The CFSA’s integrated approach in the areas of policy leadership and advocacy; research and innovation; education; and community impact will produce a deeper and broader understanding on a range of issues affecting population health outcomes inside and outside the medical system. In this way, the Centre’s social accountability research defines and strengthens the School, making NOSM and its partners more effective in the achievement of this critical mission.

About the Northern Ontario School of Medicine
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is an award-winning socially accountable medical school renowned for its innovative model of distributed, community-engaged education and research. With a focus on diversity, inclusion, and advocacy for health equity, NOSM relies on the commitment and expertise of the peoples and communities of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and underserved communities. NOSM’s graduates, faculty, learners and staff are changemakers who lead health-system transformation in Northern Ontario. The School is a recipient of the Charles Boelen International Social Accountability Award from the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada and the prestigious ASPIRE award, which recognize international excellence in social accountability and medical education.

For further information, please contact: news@nosm.ca

Biography: Erin Cameron

Erin Cameron, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Medical Education and Curriculum Development at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). She currently co-chairs the Northern and Rural Health curriculum course in the Undergraduate Medical Education program at NOSM and is a founding member and the Chair of MERLIN (Medical Education Research Lab in the North), a community of practice research group focused on building capacity and doing innovative socially accountable medical education research.

As an educational leader, Erin represents NOSM on multiple national groups such as the Canadian Medical Education Research Centre Directors Group and the AFMC Social Accountability Network. Her program of research focuses on social justice pedagogies that support transformation in education and health systems. With regional, provincial, and national funding focused on socially accountable medical education research, professor Cameron fosters multidisciplinary research collaborations. Prior to joining NOSM in 2017, she held a faculty appointment at Memorial University of Newfoundland and enjoyed a varied career as a professional athlete and communications specialist. Erin loves living in Northern Ontario and enjoys vibrant outdoor adventures with her partner and four young children.